The water drain in my shower is somewhat clogged. The water is definitely not draining as well as it used too.

Can someone please advise how to address this? I have already tried two different anti clogging chemicals that can be found at Coop. Both have had limited effect in fixing the problem.

find a wire coat hanger and straighten it. put a sharp bend at one end (maybe 1-2 cm long) and fold it back on itself. shove that down the drain and pull out the nasty hairball/dead skin/soap residue mess. repeat a few times. run some hot water down the drain and you're done.

Vinegar & Baking Soda with hot water. More

Do as Patxi suggests. I believe you will also need a pump to force the loose crap down. This can be had for 5sfr at any Migros or Coop DIY or at Jumbo. If you have trouble with the wire hanger you can also purchase a small flexible wire thingy that you put down the drain., you give it a couple of twirls and Viola out comes the blocked stuff. Suggest that you wear disposable plastic gloves as the stuff from the drain is quite messy.

The stuff at Coop and Migros is kinda weedy. Head to an Apotheke / Drogerie and tell them your issue. There's a hardcore - relatively environmentally friendly - product in a shocking pink bottle which does the trick. Don't have the name to hand, but it's usually kept locked and you'll need to ask for it.

It's probably clogged hair so a plunger should do it, if not Caustic Soda is the best thing.... if it's not illegal here, no idea what that would be called though. It's in crystal/powder form an you just mix it with warm water (outisde in a plastic container and don't breather in the vapour, then just and pour it down the plug hole, leave it 20 minutes and pour very hot water down it.

I suppose we have all had this experience, unless you don't shower or have hair.

My shower is flush with the floor but a plunger was not enough and it was not possible to stick a coat hanger down the hole.

Finally I removed the floor plate and found there was a sort of upside down cup to keep the foul oder from coming up (I think). This cup was easily removed along with the "sewer rat" (hair ball) attached to it. The cup just needed to be filled with water again and clicked back into place.

Of course not everyone's shower is like this, but I wanted to mention another alternative in case you also have a walk-in shower.

Problem was solved but needs to be repeated every few months.
As Coolio recommended, use gloves if you have them.

CH-iao

The best is if you could open the shower drain up and get the stuff out with your hands. Then advices what type of chemicals would help as well but later.

We had exactly same problem and no plunger and washing powder would get it out. Luckily our drain is not permanently mounted but locked with a screw so all it takes a little bit of time to undo it and clean it thoroughly inside. The loose hair is the biggest pain in the ass as it always clogs the drainage every few months.

If you can open it, clean it and then flush with strong chemicals to remove the rest of residue. Have a good look and good luck!

google for flexi-snake.

don't forget to wear gloves and protective eye-wear if you have poured any chemicals down your drain...

and if you do call a plumber, when they ask you if you've used any chemicals, say YES! - you might save your plumber a nasty caustic-soda burn...

I know this thread is old but as the info is still useful (unfortunately) AND I am now experiencing a second problem with my drain, I am curious - what would one call a "drain snake" or as Phil calls is, "flexi-snake" here in Switzerland?

I picked up some chemical drain cleaner last week and have tried it (x3 even) and the drain seems to clear, everything goes down quite rapidly but as soon as I run water for a bit, it slows back down again to extremely slow. (Takes hours for half a sink of water to drain.)

So, prior to calling in a plumber who will joke with my husband about how he needs to "train" his housewife better (), I want to make another attempt myself.

Meanwhile, since I'd had such a problem with it before, I had picked up a drain-guard so there was nothing bigger than a caraway seed getting down into the drain this time around, I'm really confused (and angry!) that there is yet another problem with my kitchen.


(The important bits in bold)

Mine says 'Rohrreinigungswelle'. But I think I would Google and print out a little picture.


This is what they look like rolled up round a metal cross.

Thanks Longbyt! I asked hubby what to call it and he didn't know what I meant. He did give me the other words I need to describe the problem in case I need help at the hardware store tomorrow though.

Hi Peg! The best thing I ever found to unclog a drain was some chemical that can be bought at the drug counter at the apothecary's. I don't know what it's called but I just go and tell them what I need. Otherwise, when my parents had bad drain problems they used a product that was bacteria which actually ate the stuff blocking the drain. I think I've seen it around at Coop or Manor. Finally, you could try removing the trap just under the sink, the part that makes a U. Often all the junk gets caught in there. But you'll need a wrench and a bucket.

Anyway, I'll try and pop by the apothecary in the next couple of days to find the name of the chemical, and also the name of the bacteria stuff.

A plunger always works for me.

Tom

This is what you needDont use wire with end bent over,if it get cut on something you can`t retrieve it Sorry paxi

I got a large bottle of Drano from Aldi and after two applications, I had no more problems. You just pour a large amount of the Drano liquid down the drain and wait for a while, then run some water down the hole - et voila!

Drano is not openly displayed at the pharmacies so you'll have to ask for it.

As others have said. Step one is to remove the grill on the top of the drain and use a flashlight to see if there is lots of hair in there. Remove it with some tweezers.

Next is to go to a larger Coop store (or Coop Brico) and go to the section where they have the drain and other cleaning products. You will find a can of compressed air with a red plastic top. Buy it (about CHF 10).

To use the product, you unblock the lid (twist it) and invert the can over the drain opening. Get a good seal. Push down on the can. A shot of compressed air will clear out the junk that is down there. You have enough for two or three shots. Try to do it in one long/good shot.

Nice and clean process without any chemicals to worry about. Works like a charm.

Note: if You have a bath tub rather than a shower stall, you will need to block the "over flow" opening (near the tap) so the air does not escape there. Same issue if you have a blocked sink. Use a wet towel to block the other opening.

Chemical cleaner are fine ,but some places you are not allowed to use them and you never know what the do to the pipe joint

I have a product that uses compressed air. It has a nozzle akin to a plunger. You put it on the pulg hole and press. It shoots compressed air into the hole and clears it.

I purchased it from QVC UK and they will deliver it here. I can order it for you if needed.

I couldn't find that item but there is this:

http://www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.as....yah.UKGD~U085